Feed-water regulator



(No Model.) Y

W THOMPSON,

FEED WATER REGULATOR.

' Patented July 3, 1888.

llnrrn Armor XVALLAOE THOMPSON, OF SOUTH MANCHESTER, CONNECTICUT.

FEED-WATER REGULATQR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 385,387, dated July 3,1888.

Application filed November 26, 1887. Serial No. 256,217.

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WALLACE THoMPsoN, of South Manchester, in the countyof Hart ford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new anduseful Improvcmentsin Feed- YVater Regulators for Boilers, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, whereby any oneskilled in the art can make and use the same.

My invention relates to the class of devices that are used toautomatically control or regu late the supply of feed-water to a boiler;and my invention consists in the combination of the float-chamber withboiler-connections, the float connected to a valve in the supply-pipe,and the peculiar valve with asight-glass, into which the lower end ofthe valve-rod or an extension therefrom extends; audit further consistsin details of the several parts of the apparatus and their combination,as more particularly hereinafter described, and pointed out in theclaims.

Referring to the drawing, the figure is a view in central verticalsection ot'a feed-water regulator embodying my invention.

In the accompanying drawing, the letter a denotes a float-chamber thatis made of any convenient material and size, but preferably cylindrical,with outturued flanges a ,by means of which the cover is secured toopposite ends of the chamber. A steam-connection with the boiler is madeby means of the pipe I), that is connected to the boiler at one end andenters through the top of the floatchannber at the other end, theconnection with the boiler being above the water-line, and the object ofthis connection being to equalize the pressure in the float-chamber andboiler. The float c is located within the float-chamber, and it issooured to the upper end of the valve-rod d, that extends downwardthrough the valve-body e of the valve 0. The pipe bleads from the bottomof the float-chamber to the boiler, which it enters below thewater-line, for the purpose of getting in the float-chamber the level ofthe water in the boiler. The valve-body c has a threaded stem, 0 bymeans of which it is secured in the bottom of the float chamber, and

through an opening in this stem the valve-rod passes. The throng-hway fin the valve-body is substantially in a horizontal plane when the (Nomodel.)

valve-rod is vertical, and on the pump side of the valve the inlet-pipeg enters it, the diaphragm a dividing the chamber in the valvebody andhaving in ittheportsgg into which the conical valves hharcfitted. Thesevalves are borne on the valverod d, the valve h being smaller indiameter than the port 9 so that the valve-rod and valves may beinsertedin place from below through the opening in the bottom of the valve-body,this opening being afterward closed by a screw-plug, ii, that forms thetop part of a frame, 1;, that supports a sight-glass, 7c. The lower endof the valve rod cl extends within the glass is, so that the exactposition of the float and level of the water in the boiler may beseen ata glance. The plug 1? in the lower end of the frame closes the bottom ofthe glass and bears a petcock, Z, that is used to blow out and clean theglass. When the boiler with which the regulator is connected is full,the valves are closed by theflow of water into the float-chamber throughthe pipe I), which raises the float 0, and. with it the valve-rod,closing the valves. In order to remove the glass It to clean or renewit, the pet cock Zjust below the glass is opened, and the pressure inthe chamber of the valve 6 when the float-chamber is nearly empty causesthe valve h to close upon the top of the plug z, and when the parts arein this position the glass may be removed and replaced. If at any timethe water is too high, the water may be blown off from the boiler, inorder to allow the float and valve-rod to drop, so that the openingthrough the plug 6 is closed, as before, and the glass can then beremoved and replaced or reuewed. The glass It may be removed andreplaced by a new one without shutting off the feedwvater.

To operate the float and work the valves 71 h, the water flows from theboiler back through the pipe I) at the bottom of the float-chamber. Thispipe also serves to carry off all the surplus water which accumulates inthe floatchamber from condensation of steam or that leaks up through thevalve-stem around the valve-rod d, so that the same level exists at alltimes in the boiler and in the float-chamber.

The above-described mechanism making up my improved feed-water regulatormay be used not only for the purpose above described, but

also as a regulator to control the operation of the feed-pump by placingthe float-chamber below the valve and the sight-glass beneath thefloat-chamber and putting the regulator on the steam-supply pipe of thepump,this being simply a reversal of the parts, and the device may also,Without departure from my invention, be used in connection with a trapfor the end of the return-pipes of a heatingsystern.

I claim as my invention-- 1. In combination with the float-chamberhaving the pipes 12 b, the valve-body 6, with threaded stem 0 andthroughway f, divided by the diaphragm 6', having therein the ports g 9the float c, secured to the upper end of the valve-rod d, that bears theconical valves h h, and extending through the valve-body 6 into thesight glass is, and the frame i, supporting the glass and secured to thebottom of the valve-body, all substantially as described. 2. Incombination with the float-chamber having the pipes b I), the valve-bodyc, with threaded stem 6 and throughway f, divided by the diaphragm 6having therein the ports gg, the float a, secured to the upper'end ofthe valve-rod d, that bears the conical valves h h and extending throughthe valve-body 0 into the sight-glass k, and the frame z", supportingthe glass and secured to the bottom of the valve'body and'the plug 1,secured in the lower end of the frame and bearingapetcock, Z, allsubstantially as described.

NVALLAGE' THOMPSON. \Vitnesses:

EDWARD M. OUGARD, WILLIAM FERGUSON.

